Toward a Unified mHealth Platform: A Survey of Current User Challenges and Expectations

Mobile health (mHealth) applications have become ubiquitous and have enabled self-monitoring to help provide better health outcomes. However, the wide availability of mHealth apps introduces new challenges when users need to download and use several apps. While past app evaluations have highlighted many issues, the surrounding work is limited. This study aims to analyse the current user challenges and expectations from future mHealth apps. This information is important to inform and guide the design of better and more attractive mHealth platforms of the future. For our empirical investigation of user feedback, we designed an anonymous online survey using key dimensions from the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Value Proposition Canvas. Our survey was distributed via online channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn, and we received 70 valid responses that indicated challenges such as functional overlaps between different apps, unnecessary features, and poor customizability. Similarly, most respondents expressed their preference for a single platform to manage their health. These challenges suggest the need to design more capable unified mHealth platforms that can be tailored to a user’s needs. While the development of such platforms raise valid questions around the increase in software complexity and privacy concerns around user data, an open design can address these concerns and offer a better experience. Overall, these findings indicate the need for more research into mHealth app design strategies where the regular use of more than one app must be considered to create better, more engaging mHealth apps.